Education & Work Jobs

Haha I remember working there for about 2 months. I hated every minute of it and couldn't understand why these 25 and 30 year olds were still working there. They were on massive power trips too!. I remember always giving people wrong orders, wrong change and just being hopeless in general. Lol I must have been really stupid at 15

 

I can definitely be an airline/hotel critic/writer like those in Australian Business Traveller, or Traveller websites. I will probably enjoy for the first year or so, flying around the world at expense of airlines and hotels. Then I will miss home and my kids after a while.

 

My dream job is a hotel reviewer or a getaway host!

 

Restaurant critic, hotel reviewer, tyre kicker at OFI's, auction heckler, low temperature frictional studies, jelly/custard wrestler - I could handle all of those gigs (or do them again)

 

My first job was as a research assistant. I used to love reading old newspapers all day. I was supposed to scan the headlines looking for certain key words then copy the article for my employer. The job lasted three months, I don't think i would cope doing it any longer.

Next job was in a bank, various positions over eight or nine years. I loved doing manual data entry and then manually adding everything up and that accountant's satisfaction when it all balances down and across. Very satisfying, but that job was only for a few months then I left to work locally. At Strathpine I loved counting money and networking with all the local business owners. I was happy to leave when banking started to shift from "customer service" to selling products that the customers didn't know they wanted. I was too stingy to buy the compulsory new uniform they introduced at the same time, which included $400 for a wool coat. By then I worked at my local shopping centre and I didn't have to be there until 9 am in sunny Brisbane winters.

My current job gives me experience in all the jobs that a high school would train its VET students for. I enjoy all of them, but i would go crazy if i had to do any of them for any more than the six hours a day that i currently work. Three hours in a restaurant would be enough for me. I think a sciencey job would be the most boring of all.

Cleaning and nursing/aged care (wiping bottoms and vomit) would be the pits. Did you know I was such a nerd?

 

Back to this thread. Ok, I’ve been writing SQL for 20 years now.

Having a think about next jobs:
1. I enjoy enhancing systems
2. I am really good with SQL Server and Excel
3. I enjoy solving difficult puzzles
4. I don’t want to have to be repeating the same things every day/week/month and if something has to be done every day/week/month can I automate it/can it be automated?
5. I like the ability to WFH.

Any ideas?

 

Become a robot?

 

Probably anything that involves too much physical labour or numbers

I've had at least 12 different careers to date. Past careers included admin, recruitment, graphic designer, translator, resume writer, jewellery maker, service designer, design teacher...not to count some others). I'd say I was perfectly capable of them all, but didn't feel like I truly loved any of them. Now I'm a coach/hypnotherapist/meditation teacher and finally feel like I'm living out my calling.

Another consideration though, is that if I work with the right people, almost any task becomes bearable or even enjoyable.

 

I do career coaching for people sometimes and the first step is usually understanding the essence of what you enjoy. So when you said, e.g. "I enjoy solving difficult puzzles" - what kind of puzzles do you mean and what is it about solving puzzles that you enjoy?

Once you understand the essence of what you enjoy and your motivation behind doing the things you like, you can then brainstorm/research possibilities.

e.g. I used to work in tech and I'd suggest looking into systems design, continuous improvement or technical BA roles. But I don't know if those are the sorts of "puzzles" you enjoy solving. Need to dig deeper first.

 

Thanks. I suppose it's better to say I enjoy a challenge more than to solve a difficult puzzle.
Like I started unicycling as it was a challenge.

I'm really good with seeing patterns and figuring out solutions, finding better ways to do things.
In the maths comp I was Top 1% and topped the whole school, I always got high distinctions in the science comp and in kindy I was one of 2 kids they got to spot all the book titles spread out on the floor in the library when they had to did an audit. I was just very quick at recognising the books.
When working at Big W and doing a refit I came up with a really clever way to move the stock.

At my work, everything will be changing, and it's time for me to figure out what I want to do.


System design and continuous improvememt sounds like options.
When I started working at Amex 20 years ago, based off my interview they said I wouldn't be happy/keen doing maintenance (of the existing system) but would be more into the development side of things. And they were 100% correct! That was VB6 coding btw.

@geoffw - Fair chance ChatGPT can make whatever i'm doing in the future easier and faster so I would just have to steer it and then refine output.

 

Data Scientist? point 5 may or may not be a problem. Point 2 - SQL is very useful in most analyst type roles but these days you'll probably also need stuff like Power BI and possibly Python. I've also learnt Javascript as the system I work on requires it (cloud based scripting for data migration). I limited myself to those 4 scripts because I don't think I need to be a full on programmer, just data sourcing and warehousing as I label it.

VBA has also been phased out somewhat for the M language (Power BI).

 

An update. I was going to take a redundancy and finish at the end of March.
I thought, awesome, I'll work at the Easter Show in April. But then my employer wanted me to stick around another month. Offered an incentive to do so.

Anyway, i'm involved in my local theatre (Stage manager), current play (Blithe Spirit) runs till the end of the first week of May.
I am thinking pretty much going on a cruise to see the financial year out then starting a new job July or later.
Otherwise too much tax (unexpectedly higher income, including sold a property this year - yet to settle).
Fun times ahead

 

Sparky. I was a sparky's assistant part time but had no intention of actually becoming a full on sparky at all. Most of the time I was just crawling into roof cavities and retrieving the other end of the cable and pulling it through.

I saw and self taught most of what sparkies had to do on the job - I was interested enough but just thought coding/programming was similar without the risk and you could afford screw ups LOL.

 

I am now thinking I’d either want to do similar to my current job, but on a 4 day per week basis. Or work as a field service technician!
Reason being, I like fixing problems and I’m really good at it. I will figure out the root cause and fix that.
I like making things work.
Being an active person, it would be a nice change from a desk job.

The thing that’s a problem with Field service technician is that I don’t have any particular certifications for that… that would be an effort.

My mum described that I like to use shortcuts to do anything…. She’s right you know…. (I.e. Find a way to the solution, but use the least effort way to do so). Eg. Automate what can be automated….

Anyway, so now I’m looking for an opportunity to do field service work without having to do any certifications!

 

Any government or corporate employee.

 

Based on the feedback of my first boss - putting the stickers on apples.

 

Retired in 2019. Still have nightmares about going to “work” at a “job”.

April fools day my other half woke me super early and told me I was going to be late for work

 

My other half is a field service technician. The pay is miserable, and you will probably have to drive yourself around to the various sites. I have been imagining you unicycling around Sydney with a laptop over one shoulder and a battery screwdriver swinging from a carabiner on your hip and dodging all the idiots on the roads. He works a contract in SEQ for some Sydney firm, they didn't need certs, if you want a reference.

 

Hmmm… ok, you say the pay is miserable….. that’s not so good!!!